Day: June 3, 2017

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About the Holiday

Today’s holiday recognizes that some things are just so fun or compelling that you want to do them again and again (ok, yeah…and maybe even again). So if you have a favorite song, show, or activity that you just can’t get enough of, hit that Repeat button and enjoy!

Before and After

By Jean Jullien

In this original and funny concept book, kids learn the idea of “before” and “after” with repeated examples of cause and effect. Opening the book, readers meet a Before soon-to-be mom and dad standing belly to belly. Turning the page, they see After, where a now-svelte Mom smiles as the baby hugs Dad, while riding atop a soft seat. Moving on, a rakish cat begins grooming her paw in a portrait of Before. Soon After she is sparkling clean, and her coat is smooth.

Copyright Jean Jullien, courtesy of Phaidon Press, 2017

Hmmm…what are those yellow sticks or straws or pasta noodles Before they become ?? Ha! Nailed it! After, those lines became a nice, hot, plate of spaghetti and meatballs! On the next page a child with very long hair is wearing a mischievous look Before. But—Ack! After, that hair has been cut very, very—did I mention very?—short, and the child’s expression is a little bugged out! What’s next? Way After—when the hair is back to its starting point and contentment reigns.

Copyright Jean Jullien, courtesy of Phaidon Press, 2017

Are you a half-full or a half-empty kind of person? Either way the glass and bottle are partly full Before, and the glass and bottle are partly full After—but in differing amounts. Ah! The age-old question has made an appearance: Which came Before? The egg? And which came After? The chicken? Or is it the other way ‘round?

Copyright Jean Jullien, courtesy of Phaidon Press, 2017

At the amusement park, a dad and child—every hair in place—wait in the roller coaster car Before. The dad is all smiles; the child a little wary. After, they sport the wind-blown look, while the child is all smiles and the dad is a bit shaken up. So what caused this change? During—which was a loop-the-loop, up-and-down, high-speed, no-hands thrill! A summer day takes its toll on the girl in the next scene: Before, she arrives at the beach with her shades firmly in place. But After a day of fun in the sun, those shades have left a pale mask on her now-burned face.

Copyright Jean Jullien, courtesy of Phaidon Press, 2017

And so we have come to…The Beginning? Yep, that is definitely the beginning of a Dalmatian. Let’s flip the page and see…Ah, yes! And so we have come to The End! (Or the tail—however you’d like to look at it.)

Jean Jullien’s humorous concept book will have kids and adult readers giggling and wondering what comes next page after page. While the text is minimal, the images offer a wealth of opportunities for kids to build prediction skills and talk about how Before became After. The bold images and backgrounds from a modern color palette—as well as the double fold-out roller coaster spread—will engage readers and make Before & After as much an art book as a fun learning tool.

A fun take-along book on outings or for waiting times, Before & After can spur your own game of contrasts.